Release Date:

Genre:

Tagline:

Plot:

Faced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love. Full summary » | Full synopsis »

Filming Locations:

Company:

Did You Know?

Trivia:

Shares many thematic connections to Court 13's earlier short film Glory at Sea (2008). Both deal with a ravaged community beset by storms. Both reference Greek myths, including "Elysian Fields", and contain fantastic elements in an otherwise very "real" narrative, otherwise known as magic realism. Also, the character of Sergeant Major, played by Jimmy Lee Moore, appears in both films in a significant role.See more »

Goofs:

Continuity: When Hushpuppy's dad poured drinks for him and Hushpuppy, he placed the plastic container cup in front of him and a cup with handle for Hushpuppy. Hushpuppy is seen drinking from the cup with handle, but the next shot her dad is drinking from Hushpuppy's cup, and then the next shot is the plastic container cup, then the one with handle again.See more »

Quotes:

[first lines] Hushpuppy:All the time, everywhere, everything's hearts are beating and squirting, and talking to each other the ways I can't understand. Most of the time they probably be saying: I'm hungry, or I gotta poop. [listening to bird's heartbeat] Hushpuppy:But sometimes they be talkin' in codes.See more »

What can I say about Beasts of the Southern Wild, that hasn't already
been said. It's the most magical and imaginative film of the year, so
far. In Benh Zeitlin's Beasts of the Southern Wild, the wild things are
in a place known as the Bathtub, a remote stretch of the Louisiana
bayou profoundly cut off from the rest of modern civilization. Beasts
of Southern Wild is an unique vision that sweeps viewers away with
energy, attitude and a full, vibrant, sense of life. Containing
outstanding performances, great cinematography, and a fantastic score,
the film is just so engrossing.

Hushpuppy feels her connection not only to nature and animals, but also
to the prehistoric era, represented throughout the film by her interest
in cave drawings andmore fancifullyprehistoric beasts called aurochs
that have been released from the ice caps and make their way toward the
Bathtub at least in Hushpuppy's mind. The difference between what's
real and what lives in the imagination of our six-year-old heroine is
not always clear, but it's all delivered with a beautifully assured
sense of wonder.

Beasts of the Southern Wild unfolds through Hushpuppy's eyes, and it's
a sight to behold: sometimes wondrous, often disordered and
dysfunctional. It's hard not to see the film through a political lens
even if you're apolitical. But there's no stridency here: Fantastical
moments and a fantastic script manage to juggle so much with grace. As
Hushpuppy says, "The entire world depends on everything fitting
together just right." But her world is one where wealth and squalor
co-exist all too easily, the discrepancy painfully obvious (even though
we don't really see the other world), the puzzle pieces not equal in
weight or importance. Yet the hardscrabble people of Bathtub still find
a way to channel their joy, even though they've been forgotten.

It's all the more impressive that such a confident and resourceful film
comes from a first-timer; writer-director Benh Zeitlin previously
impressed Sundance audiences with the Hurricane Katrina inspired short
"Glory at Sea." He collaborated on the screenplay for "Beasts" with
Lucy Alibar and worked with a cast and crew of mostly non-professionals
(both Wallis and Henry make genuinely astonishing screen debuts). That
freshness may very well be key to the film's creative success. There's
a feeling of genuine enthusiasm and ingenuity in their work here, as if
everyone involved was truly discovering the power and potential of
filmmaking for the first time.

Related Links

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Edit page' button will take you through a step-by-step process.